Analyst suggests trade idea that could put Detroit Pistons over the top

The Detroit Pistons are in first place in the Eastern Conference standings, but they should be looking for ways to upgrade their team ahead of the trade deadline.

The Pistons could benefit from adding another shooter. That would give them more to work with as they go into the second half of the season. CBS Sports writer Sam Quinn emphasized the need for the team to add a shooter at the deadline.

"The Pistons outscore their opponents by an average of around 14 points in the paint per game," Quinn wrote.

"However, they're outscored by more than five points per game from behind the arc. The Pistons are always going to win games at the rim, but if they can just clean up their shooting a little bit, they'll have a real chance to not only win the East, but compete with the inevitably favored Western Conference champion."

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham dribbles defended by New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Pistons need to address shooting at trade deadline

The Pistons have Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert, but they're going to need more from distance if they are going to compete with the best teams in the league. That's why Quinn suggested a trade that would send Michael Porter Jr. from the Brooklyn Nets to the Pistons for Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivey, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2028 first-round pick.

"Michael Porter Jr. is the cleanest fit on the board by far. He should come at a lower cost than big names they've been linked to like Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., but his all-around offense should fit in seamlessly," Quinn wrote.

"To get him, the Nets get a first-round pick a few years into the future, a second-rounder, the expiring contract of Harris to match money, and Ivey, a talented former lottery pick who's just been nudged out of the role he needs by the players around him. Before he got hurt, Ivey was having a breakout season a year ago. Maybe the Nets can re-sign him in restricted free agency and then get him back on that developmental track. That they remove Porter, their best offensive player by far, from their roster as they attempt to tank for a better first-round pick is just the cherry on top."

Porter Jr. is one of the league's top scorers, averaging 25.9 points per game in his first season with the Nets. He didn't have the opportunity to score at this rate when he played with the Denver Nuggets for his first six NBA seasons.

That kind of role is what will be expected out of him if he were to come to the Pistons. As Cade Cunningham will have the ball in his hands more often than he will, but that doesn't mean he can't be a major contributor for the Pistons.

Porter won a championship with the Nuggets back in 2023, so he has a proven track record in the league. That's something the Pistons don't have a lot of in their players at the moment, so getting this experience onto the roster will be a huge help for them as they try to capture a championship of their own.